This invention generally relates to dispensers of vaporizable media. More specifically, this invention relates to a device for dispensing a fragrance or deodorant in the form of a vapor for air freshening in an enclosed environment.
The need for effectively combating airborne malodors in homes and enclosed public buildings, by odor masking or destruction, is well established. Various kinds of vapor-dispensing devices have been employed for this purpose. The most common of such devices is the aerosol container which propels minute droplets of an air freshener composition into the air. Another common type of dispensing device is a dish containing or supporting a body of gelatinous matter which when it dries and shrinks releases a vaporized air-treating composition into the atmosphere. Other products such as deodorant blocks are also used for dispensing air-treating vapors into the atmosphere by evaporation. Another group of vapor-dispensing devices utilizes a carrier material such as paperboard impregnated or coated with a vaporizable composition.
A number of recent developments include a liquid air-treating composition in an enclosure, all or part of which is formed of a polymeric film through which the air-treating composition can migrate to be released as a vapor at an outer surface. Use of this type of permeable polymeric membrane controls the dispensing of air-treating vapors and tends to eliminate great variations in the rate of dispensing over the life of the product.
Wicking devices are well known for dispensing volatile liquids into the atmosphere, such as fragrance, deodorant, disinfectant or insecticide active agent.
A typical wicking device utilizes a combination of a wick and emanating region to dispense a volatile liquid from a liquid reservoir. Wicking devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,994,932; 2,597,195; 2,802,695; 2,804,291; 3,550,853; 4,286,754; 4,413,779; 4,454,987; 4,913,350; and 5,000,383; incorporated by reference.
Of special interest with respect to the present invention are wicking dispenser devices in which the wicking action is promoted by a nonporous wick structure. This type of device is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,847,976; 3,283,787; 4,913,350; and 5,121,881; incorporated by reference.
Some air freshener dispensers are expensive to manufacture. Other air freshener dispensers are inexpensive to produce, but tend to have inferior construction and functionality.
There remains a need for a well-constructed air freshener dispenser device which can be mass-produced economically and which can deliver a vapor medium at a controlled uniform rate over an extended period of time.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved air freshener dispenser device for delivering an odorant and/or deodorant vapor in an enclosed environment.
It is another object of this invention to provide an air freshener dispenser device with a primary structure which is a plastic assembly that can be produced economically by a thermoforming means.
It is another object of this invention to provide an air freshener dispenser device which has a novel assembly of vapor-emanating surface and liquid wicking means.
It is a another object of this invention to provide an air freshener dispenser device in which a liquid air freshener is transported from an enclosed reservoir to a vapor-emanating surface by capillary action with a nonporous wick structure.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an air freshener dispenser device which optionally is convertible between operational and nonoperational modes.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention shall become apparent from the accompanying description and drawings.